I look up to and respect Michael Vick, even if he is a convicted felon and dog murderer…and no, it’s not just because I’m an Eagles fan.  Why?

The first time I saw Michael Vick play football was during the divisional playoff round of the 2002-2003 season in which the Philadelphia Eagles played the Atlanta Falcons.  Vick actually played awful in the game, but I developed a certain admiration of him that evening.  Every time he touched the ball, his feet seemed to be literally engulfed with flames, torching the infamous Veterans Field turf wherever he stepped.  He was running so fast it was as if his feet were on fire and he was attempting to put the flames out by running at sickening speeds.  How could this dude be exploding out from under center, whipping around his tackle and burst into the Eagles secondary in a few measly seconds?  From that game on, I watched his career from a love-hate point of view.  I loved watching his animal like speed and agility and arm strength.  I hated watching his arrogant press conferences.  He continued to puzzle defensive coordinators around the NFL, but as he talks about in his autobiography, Finally Free, he was making his way down a very destructive and evil path.  

                On November 19^th, 2007 Mike went to prison on a twenty-three month sentence for dog fighting.  Mike was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at the time, and this shocked and deeply angered many people.  Not just football fans, but everybody.  Animal activists were enraged and advocated the death penalty for Mike.  While many had different views on punishments, one thing most agreed on was that what Michael Vick did was evil.  Life went on for the rest of us, but as Mike describes in his book, he was in a stand still during his prison time…he was a “caged bird.”  That cage was opened in August 2009 when the Eagles signed him after serving his prison sentence and being cleared to play football again by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but ultimately when he rededicated his life to Jesus Christ in a Kansas prison cell.          

                There is sooo much to process and consider with Michael Vick’s story, it is something that can be debated for days and days.  One thing that cannot be debated however, is that this man changed and not because of his doing.  Mike’s accomplishments on the football field with the Eagles in 2010 is not what makes his story interesting, it’s what went on in his heart.  God grabbed him where he was, and lifted him out of the disgusting sin he was indulging in when he turned his back on Christ upon entering the NFL.  His 2010 season shows how God richly blessed him and used him in the lives of many, including myself.  Mike lays it out for us in the eighth chapter of his book…

                “From the moment I first heard those prison doors slam behind me, I began to turn back to God-praying, reading the Bible, and recommitting my life to Him.  The only thing I could do was have faith and stay strong and to trust and believe that God would give me another chance”.  

                When he is talking about another chance, he is talking forgiveness.  Mike went from being one of the most beloved athletes to hated Americans in the course of a few months.  The forgiveness he NEEDED was from Christ.  It is the forgiveness we all need, and receive when we turn to him in faith and believe in his son’s death on the cross.  The forgiveness he DESIRED was from all his fans, friends, and family.  While many have forgiven him and many have not, it is troubling to think that some of those that have not call themselves “Christ-followers”.  It begs one question, its okay for God to forgive you of all your sins and call you his child but you don’t think it is fair for him to forgive and cleanse someone else?  Well for all the people who believe Mike Vick should never be forgiven for what he did, it isn’t up for you to decide.  We all have the same sentence, death.  We are all as much of a sinner as Mike and desire to be free!  Free from sin, free from evil, free from the deep wounds that lay in the depths of our hearts.  Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only path to the freedom we need and desire.  The wages of sin is death, but when we repent…

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” Romans 6:18

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” Romans 6:22

Forgiveness is a beautiful and powerful thing.  Instead of the eternal death we have been sentenced to because of our incessant sin, we receive eternal life.  When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us…and his mercies are new each day!  We must forgive, like we have been forgiven!  Live free.  Fly like an Eagle, free from sin and basking in the glorious riches God has for you!

A little validity….

How often do men come out of prison a better person than the one who entered prison?  Look at this statistic from the U.S. Department of Justice…

                “More than 650,000 ex-offenders are released from prison every year, and studies show that approximately two-thirds will likely be rearrested within three years of release.”

                Doesn’t sound like rehabilitation, does it? 

True rehab comes from Christ, and Christ alone.